When Did They Realize
by BigEyesBigSmile
Summary: When did they realize... they had fallen hopelessly in love with each other...


When did they realize that they had fallen for each other?

* * *

When did Marinette realize she had fallen in love with Adrien? She admitted it; she had it bad for Adrien Agreste. She blushed, stuttered, and her legs turned to Jell-O whenever she was within three feet of him. It was crazy. And if she were to be completely honest with herself, it was turning into an obsession. She had gone so far as to map out his entire schedule! His entire schedule! She had turned into one of the things she disliked most… a fan girl. But at some point, it had transformed into something more.

And now, she was asking herself, when?

Naturally, her mind would refer to the moment when Adrien held the umbrella to her in the rain. Well, now that she thought about it, it really wasn't when she fell in love with him; it was when she began to crush on him… hard. The blush had coated her cheeks as she suddenly found herself staring into Adrien's deep green eyes. Of course he was handsome, he was a model. But looks were never what it was about.

They helped though.

So she started crushing on him when he handed her the umbrella. But when had it gone beyond the crushing? Maybe it was when he stood up for her in front of Chloe, even though he had been Chloe's friend before hers. It wasn't as if they were extremely close, if anything it was the opposite. She could barely utter a few words before her brain shut off oratory function. Not to mention all the times she had run into him. She was a complete klutz around him!

Scratch that. She was always a klutz.

She was double the klutz around him! How was the even possible? Overnight, she had turned into a hot mess of emotions and in the middle of it all was Adrien. But back to the question, when did she realize that her feelings had taken a turn, for better or for worse.

Maybe it was when she started realizing he wasn't perfect. Clearly, as if it were yesterday, she remembered the time Adrien had stormed out of his limousine, a frown marring his usually perfect features. He had slammed the door and hadn't bothered looking at anyone. He even brushed past Nino. No one dared to go within ten feet of him.

But when Adrien had disappeared for several minutes, after claiming he had to go to the bathroom, Marinette had gotten worried. Faking a fall, she hurriedly exclaimed she had drastically injured herself, and had exited the classroom. Running, and then slowing to a walk, Marinette saw Adrien around a corner. Ducking behind a trashcan before he could see her, she listened.

He was crying.

His soft sobs echoed in the halls and Marinette's heart broke. Ignoring her hammering heart, she came out from behind the rubbish bin and engulfed Adrien in her arms. She would deal with the repercussions later. He instinctively buried his head into her shoulders, his form hunched over hers, as if the weight of the world was against him. She had just stood there, holding him, thinking,

"I love you."

She didn't say it. But she felt the emotions.

Adrien wasn't perfect, she knew that now. He was human. He was… just like her in a way. But despite him being flawed, she still… loved him.

* * *

When did Adrien realize he liked Marinette… maybe even more than a friend.

He couldn't honestly say. For so long, Marinette had been… Marinette; a quirky friend who was there for him when he needed it. As Adrien, Marinette had been, for lack of a better word, skittish around him. At first, he thought it was simply the nervousness one had when meeting a celebrity. But when it continued for… well, it was still going on, albeit less, Adrien began to suspect she still disliked him or had an ulterior motive for not hanging around him too much. Adrien wanted to be her friend, but he wouldn't press it. They, along with Alya and Nino, had hung out and Adrien would sort of consider her an associate of some sort. But then he began to notice things about her.

One, she was brave.

She always stood up against injustice, never backed down from a fight, and during Akuma attacks, kept her head and was always ready for just about anything. Whether it was against Chloe, or even an adult who was unfair, she made her opinions and views known. She had a fire to her that Adrien could only compare to his lady's.

Two, she was forgiving.

Even after the whole gum incident, Adrien had still felt bad about the whole ordeal. But aside from nervousness, Marinette constantly insisted that she was fine. She had even told him to forget all about it. And to others as well, Marinette was always ready to make amends. And she was honest with others when she made mistakes.

Three, she was, well… beautiful.

Adrien could only compare her beauty next to Ladybug's and Adrien didn't fully know what Ladybug looked like! Marinette had large bluebell eyes which were always darting around and full of energy. Her midnight black hair had a strange tint of blue to it which made her hair unique. Adrien knew that most female models would kill for hair like that. She was shaped perfectly with curves in all the right places. But the best part about her beauty was that she never flaunted it. She could show up to school in a messy raincoat from having fallen in the mud, hair falling out of her pigtails, bags under her eyes, and a sloppy T-shirt thrown over a pair of plain jeans and he would still think she looked better than Chloe after a trip to the salon.

And fourth, she was comforting.

When someone needed help, she was there. It didn't matter who it was. Marinette never discriminated. She just did what was right. She never looked down on anyone for anything and she always did her best to assist someone in need. It was as if she had made it her life's mission to comfort people.

Adrien couldn't forget that day, the anniversary of his mother's death. Earlier, he had pleaded with his father to forgo his studies so he could visit his mother's grave. His father said no. Adrien had been livid when he entered the school halls. He felt like the world was against him. And during the middle of class, he had endured enough. He had stormed out of the classroom and into an empty hall. He broke down. For the past few years of his life, he had been pressured to be the perfect child. He wasn't supposed to cry, to be angry or upset. But that day… he just couldn't.

He had left the class, sat down, and cried. He wasn't expecting anyone to follow him. He had been pretty adamant that he wanted to be left alone. But then, she came.

He felt her arms quickly embrace him and the smell of freshly cooked pastries (and garbage?) engulfed his nose. She wasn't judging him. She didn't say anything. Yet, he felt completely at home in her arms. He hadn't felt like that in a long time.

Maybe… just maybe… he just really, really, really, liked Marinette.

* * *

When did Ladybug realize that she liked Chat Noir?

Ladybug had watched tons of romantic comedies, a lot of high-school chick flicks, and just plain up romance movies. She considered herself a pseudo expert on them. She knew how to tell when the girl would end up with the hot guy, or the nerdy guy, the emotionally stunted but soft-hearted jerk, or the nice guy, the new guy, or the best friend. She could read the signs from a mile off.

And it was frightening how many red flags were popping up in her mind when she thought of Chat.

He was her best friend. Alya was a great friend but she didn't know everything. She had confided a lot of things to Alya but Chat really _knew_ her. From Alya, she still hid things: her secret identity, her greatest insecurities, and some of her deepest desires.

Chat knew everything… except her name.

So many times she had poured out her heart in earnest to him and he had always been there. A lot of times he was goofy and childish but they both had their moments. He could be serious and calming. He was attentive to her and knew every little detail that made her… her. And to be honest, he wasn't that bad looking. If one saw past the jokes, the puns, and the silliness, they would find a loyal, steadfast, caring friend.

And sometimes, that was really tempting to Ladybug. There would be moments were he would joke or say something stupid, yet annoyingly funny and their eyes would meet. She would stare at him and wonder… if she wasn't so hung up on Adrien, she would be head over heels for Chat.

Part of her is glad she's not in love with Chat. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to function properly around him. Yet another part of her longs to forget Adrien. Throw caution into the wind and finally accept Chat's constant proposals. She really liked him sometimes.

She knew that she would be legitimately happy in a relationship with Chat. But there was a larger part of her fighting for Adrien. And somehow, he won almost every single time… almost.

Her mind recalled a dreary day in which nothing had gone right. She had fought with her parents leaving her house, failed another test, ran into Adrien several times, got bullied by Chloe, and… well, you get the picture. She was completely sick of that day. The one thing she was looking forward to was patrol; flying through the streets of Paris with her partner.

She was at the Eifel tower when Chat dropped in, literally. His staff must have shifted when he vaulted and he ended up crashing beside Ladybug. That was the first time she had truly smiled that day… laughing at his antics.

"Oh Chaton… you really know how to make an entrance."

"Thanks My lady, it's all part of my comedic timing." He bowed.

Ladybug stopped laughing and straightened. "Well, then let's start patrol."

"Wait!" Chat suddenly said. "Are you… alright?"

"Wha… I'm fine… why do you ask?"

"Well… you don't look fine," Chat said a bit nervously, "not that you look ugly or anything!" He quickly exclaimed.

Ladybug gave a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Let's just say I had a really bad day."

"... Wanna tell me about it?"

Yes, Ladybug was sure that if she dated Chat, married Chat, grew old with him… she would be completely happy.

* * *

When did Adrien realize he loved Ladybug?

Maybe it was when he first met her. They had gotten tied up so fast… When she had stood up against Hawkmoth for the first time, her confidence was soaring and she had inspired him so much.

He had been living in a haze before. Focusing on his studies, getting through day to day life, modeling, and trying his hardest to please his father, he hadn't been inspired to do anything. He hadn't hoped to be anything more than who his father wanted him to be. He was locked in a cage without any space to even fly. Then she had busted in. She had given him strength to believe again. She was breathtaking.

She was also way out of his league.

And she made sure to remind him of that often. She was beautiful in the way that she was untouchable. When they first started working together, she was so self-assured and upright. Every time he tried to get anywhere with her, he was shut down. Somehow, that managed to inspire him as well. That one day she would say yes.

That's what he was hoping for every day. That one day, she would look him in the eye with the same kind of feelings he had for her. He knew it was a pipe dream but a guy could still hope, right? And although he constantly praised her, he knew that she was far from perfect as well.

Their patrols would sometimes evolve into little heart to heart sessions. She would tell him things that he knew, no one else knew. It made him feel special. Like they had a connection that no one else in the world had. Even if she never said yes… he knew that they had a relationship that words would never be able to explain.

And during these moments, there would always be pauses. They would look into each other's eyes and for a second, Adrien was absolutely sure that she would tell him the words he longed to hear more than anything. But confliction always followed and in the end, they would go home and nothing would have changed.

But he was satisfied.

Well, sort of. There was always going to be a part of him that was never content with just being her friend. But there was a sense of wholeness when he was with her. The missing piece inside of him had been found; it was her. And as long as he was with her, than that was fine.

He might pass on from the world, never hearing the words he longed for but he would be happy. Just knowing her, being with her, being her closest friend; that knowledge was enough for him because…

He loved her.

* * *

When did they realize…

That the persons they had been conflicted over were one and the same?

They had won; the long, arduous, drawn out battle with Hawkmoth. They had finally defeated him, once and for all. It was revealed that Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth and that he had been trying to revive his wife. Both heroes were shocked at this revelation and both were touched by his dedication to his spouse. Yet they knew that he had to pay for his crimes.

When he was beaten, he was jailed. His son, Adrien had visited him. They talked… for a long time and when he walked out of the prison; he had achieved some closure….

"I'm getting married." Ladybug said absentmindedly to Chat as they sat on the top of the Eiffel tower.

Chat bristled. "Wait, you're just telling me this out of the blue? Just like that? When you know how much I love you?" Chat exclaimed dramatically.

Although he was being melodramatic, he couldn't deny the little stab of pain that went through his heart. But he had accepted that this might become a reality. That and…

"Well… me too!"

Ladybug blinked at his declaration. For a moment, anxiety entered her heart and she began wondering if she had made a grave mistake. But she shook her head. She had made her choice and now she would stick with it.

"Well, that's great! I'm glad for you." Ladybug said softly.

"You too," Chat replied.

They were both quiet before Chat said, "Do you think maybe it's time?"

"Time for what?" Ladybug whispered. Although she asked, Ladybug knew to what he was alluding to.

"Do you think it's time we revealed ourselves? I mean, Hawkmoth has been defeated. We are grown adults. Master Fu will probably be taking back the miraculous now that the fights over… I still want to see you around… hang out. We are friends… right?"

"We're the best of friends." Ladybug said confidently. "And yeah… I think it's time.

They both turned to face each other, their hearts pounding together. They closed their eyes and removed their masks.

"Three… two… one…" They said in unison.

Their eyes popped open.

Nothing was said. They were shocked to the point of no words. Then… they started laughing.

The two supers burst into giggles and began shaking with laughter. Marinette started wiping her eyes from the tears that were springing forth as Adrien clutched his stomach.

"We are idiots, aren't we?" Marinette chuckled.

"I couldn't think of a better word!" Adrien replied.

"All this time…" They said at the same time.

Marinette let herself fall into Adrien's lap. Staring into his eyes, she spoke, "I was so torn between both of you. I loved Adrien and I loved Chat and it nearly killed me to choose…"

Adrien stroked her hair, "I know how you feel." He hunched over, resting his forehead against hers and shutting his eyes.

"I love you."

Surprise fluttered through him as he opened his eyes and sucked in his breath. He had wanted to hear those words for so long…

"I love you too."

They stayed that way for a while, enjoying each other's warmth and company but a question popped into their heads.

"When did you realize…?"

* * *

A.N.

*When you know you need to finish a fanfic but you write a new one...*


End file.
